stood outside Nine Entertainment’s North Sydney headquarters, waiting. At times, there were also TV camera crews.
He left the company in March, telling staff in an email that “after many long beach walks and even longer conversations, I know in my heart that this is the right time for me to step down”. There was no laudatory note from Sneesby and few words from colleagues, despite Wick’s 29 years with the business. It was, observers noted, in stark contrast to Nine publishing chief James Chessell’s departure only a few months earlier.
Between now and the end of July, people from the boutique firm will interview anonymous volunteers from the Nine TV stable to identify structural problems contributing to the workplace culture that allowed Wick to exist. What the interviews reveal has the potential to impact other executives. There are a lot of “what ifs”. If people come forward saying they complained about behaviour in the past and nothing was done, that could trigger further action.Sneesby is not immune from criticism, but can claim Wick’s behaviour went on before he rose to CEO, in 2021. Before then, he led Nine’s subscription TV platform, Stan.